The Fox and the Hound
by NefCanuck
Summary: What happens when the carefree Kitsune meets someone who is her polar opposite? Ch. 7 KKACC
1. Default Chapter

Authour's Notes  
  
Here I am yet again with another idea that just grabbed my brain and screamed to be let out (I gotta remember to shoot the warden in my head for letting these things out -laughs-)  
  
Anyways on with the show.. Kitsune/ACC pairing.... Why? Well why the hell not eh?  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina, someone far more talented does, I'm just borrowing for the purposes of entertainment (Of myself or you the reader? Hey that's your call not mine -smiles-)  
  
NefCanuck - amslerd@sympatico.ca  
  
The Fox and the Hound  
  
Mitsune "Kitsune" Konno sat at a local watering hole in Hinata, doing her level best to try and send her liver to an early grave. The residents of the dormitory where she lived didn't approve of her nightly forays into the state of drunkenness, but she didn't care. After the latest round of the silent treatment by the residents while she proceeded to have her one woman party she had decided to continue her party elsewhere and found herself in this *charming* establishment, one of the few that hadn't cut her off for an unpaid liquor tab.  
  
So Kitsune sat alone, her mood growing darker as she grew drunker. She growled to herself "What's with them, it's not like I haven't done this before" Her conscience chided her gently (That's the problem Kitsune dear, you do this way too often.... they're worried about you) Kitsune then proceeded to try and drown the voice in her head with the rest of her drink, only succeeding in draining the glass that much faster. As she sat in her alcoholic haze she began to drift back into her memories...  
  
* In the Past *  
  
Kitsune stood behind the door to Naru Narusegawa's room peeking in hoping to catch a glimpse of Naru's tutor Seta. Seta was everything that Kitsune thought she wanted in a man, smart, charming, funny and had endless patience. But, as was often the case when it came to good looking guys, Naru had decided first that Seta would be hers and Kitsune couldn't bring herself to impose herself into the situation and hurt her best friend in the world.  
  
So Kitsune snuck back to her room with a sigh and after making sure no one had seen her go in, made her way to her desk and opened the bottom drawer. Inside lay a bottle of sweet sake that she had managed to con an upperclassman into buying for her by promising to show him her "assets"  
  
Kitsune had kept her part of the bargain... and showed the poor boy her bank account... her total "assets" in the world. As she had left the boy stuttering in astonishment with how easily he had been tricked, she had raced off with the bottle of liquid gold. Now it sat in her drawer staring her in the face even as she began to speak to the bottle in a soft, low voice. "That's right, just you and me handsome... no one can break us up and Naru can't lay claim to you... you're mine all mine...." and with that she proceeded to down a quarter of the bottle and fell asleep, clutching the bottle to her chest and a tear trickling down her cheek.  
  
* In the Present *  
  
Kitsune scowled even as she looked at her nearly empty glass "Why the hell did I have to remember that?" she thought bitterly even as she raised her unsteady hand with effort and offered up her most alluring smile to the bartender "How about another one gorgeous?" The barkeep sighed, the Konno girl was in theory his best customer except for the fact that she never managed to actually pay off her bartab, managing to get it reduced before getting cut off by means of beguiling men with her various charms. "Okay one more and then I gotta cut you off, it's nearly closing time and I have to get home to the wife sometime this week." Kitsune grinned broadly "In that case, make it a double?" The barkeep sighed "No way, you're already way past loaded Konno-san" Kitsune grimaced at the formality in the man's voice, but knew when she was beaten, even nice guys have their limits as Kitsune accepted her final drink of the evening.  
  
* Elsewhere in Hinata *  
  
Hideki Matsui, known as "Bloodhound" to his friends at the precinct, sighed and stretched even as he watched the clock tick down to the end of his shift. As was his custom he waited until the very last minute of his shift to begin preparing for the journey home, unlike his colleagues who were laughing and joking even as they prepared to go off shift for the night. Hideki sighed again, knowing what awaited him when he got home, another TV dinner, some bad late night comedy and then bed, only to be repeated again the following night, probably until he retired. Hideki sometimes wondered why he was where he was in life and then he remembered what had caused him to choose this town as the place to start his career as a policeman.  
  
* In the Past *  
  
Hideki Matsui was not a small man by any means, standing at 6"1 but standing nose to nose with his father he felt like he was ten years old again, but this time he wasn't cowering in fear, he was matching his father in volume and intensity. Hideki stood his ground defiantly, his ice blue eyes blazing in fury "For the last time father I will *not* agree to start my career in the Tokyo Police Department! That's *all* I need, people saying that I got there because *you* made it so!" Hideki's father was equally adamant "But why in the hell do you want to start in a backwater like Hinata? You'll never get out of there once you transfer in!" Hideki looked his father in the eye "I'd rather spend my life in a 'backwater" as you call it with my pride intact!" and with that he stormed out the door carrying a duffel bag and putting it in the sidecar of his bike. He took one last look at the house of his childhood before he peeled out leaving streaks of rubber on the road and his father steaming on the doorstep, even as his mother stood behind a curtain that had afforded a view of the entire exchange. The kindly woman had a smile on her face, proud of her son's refusal to accept his father's help "Good luck Hideki, be safe my precious little puppy"  
  
* Back in the Present *  
  
Hideki awoke from his daydream with a start, mentally chiding himself for having lost focus. "To lose focus was to lose oneself" this was a mantra that he lived his life by. He glanced at the clock, his shift was now officially over and he could make his way to the small apartment he had rented in Hinata. That had been another sore point with his father, he could have easily afforded more on what he had been given by his parents, yet he chose to live only off the meager salary he commanded as a foot solider in the war on crime. His only indulgence, his motorbike, roared to life under him and he began the trek to his apartment.  
  
Elsewhere, Kitsune staggered out of the bar, she was in the truest sense of the word, drunk. Her vision was a jumbled mass of colours and light, even this late in Hinata things were still happening. She wandered haphazardly towards the all girls dorm she called home but only made it a few blocks before collapsing on the sidewalk in a heap.  
  
Kitsune awoke sometime later to the sounds of several voices "Shit, she's waking up! What do we do now boss?" Another gruff voice answered "Who gives a damn if she's awake or not? Hell, it'll just made it that much more fun!" That's when Kitsune knew she was in trouble and she tried to get up. She found that her wrists had been bound behind her and she was seated on the ground.  
  
Kitsune looked up and saw her assailants, one was a short stocky man, with his hair dyed blond while the other was thin and had a dangerous look to him, as if he had nothing left in the world to live for. (See? This is what the others were afraid of, her conscience chided her even as she began to realize the gravity of the situation through the slowly lifting alcoholic fog)  
  
Kitsune mentally kicked her conscience of the nearest cliff and looked at her attackers with a beguiling smile "You know fellas, this would be a whole lot more interesting if you untied me... whaddaya think?" The tall one smirked "What do you think we are lady, stupid? We untie you and you'd take off like a bat out of hell, no you're staying nice & tied up!" Kitsune shrugged "Can't blame a girl for trying can you?" and with that she took a breath and began to scream for help as if her life depended on it, because for all she knew at that moment it did.  
  
Hideki sat at a light on his bike waiting for it to change, using the dead time to mentally examine his surroundings, he wasn't in the nicest part of Hinata but he would soon be home. Suddenly he heard a woman's cry for help, followed by the sharp sound of a hand smacking flesh. Hideki scowled, that wasn't good and with barely a moment's hesitation he grabbed his nightstick from his bike and headed for the source of the cry for help.  
  
Back in the alley the two thugs towered over Kitsune, the tall one shaking with a barely controlled rage "That was real stupid lady.... all we wanted to do was have a little fun and you had to go make all that noise... Looks like we'll have to make sure you can't cause us any trouble" With that he kneeled down, having pulled out a knife and with a praticised flick of his wrist cut off several buttons on Kitsune's blouse. Kitsune looked up and uttered a silent prayer, even as she realized that no one was likely to come to her aid.  
  
Hideki came upon the situation and immediately his mind turned to how to best disarm the thugs while minimizing the risk to the woman, he decided to try the soft approach first. Hideki smiled "Looks like I broke up a little something before it got started... how about you fellas leave the scene and I don't call this in to the station?" The taller one barked out a laugh "You're a cop? You look like a freaking Yakuza thug! Now get lost before I carve you up shithead!" Hideki's smile was gone now, replaced by a grim mask of professionalism. Hideki glared at the pair "I was willing to let this pass if you boys took off, now it's official police busi..." Hideki was cut off by the strangled cry of the taller assailant who came at him swinging his knife wildly.  
  
Hideki brought up his nightstick and caught the blade of the knife in it even as he used his other arm to deliver a forearm shiver that sent his attacker sprawling on the ground. Hideki looked at the shorter man "Are you willing to surrender, or do you want to make things difficult for yourself like your friend here?" The smaller man looked at Hideki, a barely restrained glaring tower of anger and his partner who lay in a pile of trash looking very much like he belonged there and did the only thing her could...  
  
He fainted dead away.  
  
Hideki smiled to himself "Well, that went pretty well, all things being equal" he murmured. After securing the men with handcuffs from his back pocket he turned his attention to the woman. She had gone silent during the fight, looking at her saviour in a way that Hideki couldn't quite place but as Hideki kneeled next to her she began to cry softly. Hideki looked at the woman in confusion "Are you hurt anywhere miss? Should I call for an ambulance for you?" Kitsune shook her head and continued crying quietly even as Hideki freed her from her bonds. Hideki was truly concerned now even as he brought the brown haired woman to her feet. "Can you tell me your name Miss?" Hideki asked as gently as he could. Kitsune began "M... My name is Kit...." and she proceeded to vomit all over Hideki's jacket and pass out.  
  
Hideki's only thought at that point was "Aw man, vomit is a pain in the ass to get out of leather" The bile began dribbling down the front of his jacket, narrowly missing the bulldog insignia, an idea from his colleagues at the station in testament to his tenacity. He brought the woman gently back down to the ground while taking care not to get any of the woman's bile on her. "May you wake up and not remember any of this Miss" Hideki commented softly to the now soundly asleep Kitsune.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Well that was interesting... comments anyone? 


	2. Part 2

Authour's Notes  
  
The funny thing is that this thing is practically writing itself as I go along.... last fic I wrote that did that went 14 chapters.... Okay you can put down the flaming torches.... Please?  
  
Anyways on with the show.. Kitsune/ACC pairing.... Why? Well why the hell not eh?  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina, someone far more talented does, I'm just borrowing for the purposes of entertainment (Of myself or you the reader? Hey that's your call not mine -smiles-)  
  
All comments to NefCanuck - amslerd@sympatico.ca  
  
The Fox and the Hound Part 2  
  
Hideki wondered just what deity had he made angry that night. He found himself driving towards a girl's dormitory with a drunken passenger whose head was staying upright by means that he couldn't comprehend. He thought back to the conversation that he had had with the police officers who had attended the scene of the disturbance....  
  
Hideki groaned inwardly as he recognized the two patrolmen sent out after he called in the incident on his cellphone. The two patrolmen were the bane of his existence, always trying to goad him into doing or saying something that would get him in trouble with the precinct commander.  
  
The taller one, Sochiro Saotome, looked at Hideki as he noticed the blanket on the girl. "Your blanket 'Bulldog'"? Sochiro smirked at Hideki. Hideki for his part kept a cool demeanor as he looked at the patrolman and spoke "Unlike you Sochiro, my heart isn't a piece of ice. This girl was nearly raped and she passed out after I managed to subdue her attackers"  
  
The shorter one, Shinji Tylor, grunted as he peered at Kitsune's unconscious form "Wait a second Sochiro, that's the Konno girl right?" The taller one looked down and groaned "Oh hell, not her...." Hideki looked at the pair growing more annoyed by the minute "What's the problem patrolmen?" his voice carried an edge to it as he looked at them with growing frustration.  
  
Patrolman Saotome spoke, his voice had an amused tone to it "We've dealt with the Konno girl before and frankly after the last time we spoke to the station commander and he agreed that we wouldn't have to deal with her again. If you want her to get home, you'll have to take care of it yourself."  
  
Hideki couldn't believe his ears, here were two police officers outright refusing to help a victim of a serious crime. Hideki stood up and glared at the pair "I must have misheard you. You just said that you wouldn't get Ms. Konno home?" Patrolman Tylor looked up at Hideki with a mischevious glint in his eye. "That's right Matsui, you care to take the matter up with the station commander?"  
  
Hideki glared back "After I've gotten Ms. Konno home you can bet your ass I'll be reporting this to the station commander!" with that comment Hideki gently picked up Kitsune, making sure that she was wrapped in the blanket and placed her gently in the bike's sidecar. He then proceeded in the direction of the Hinata Suu, the residence indicated on the girl's identification.  
  
The patrolmen nodded at each other as Hideki drove out of sight and Sochiro spoke "Good riddance to her, why should we have to hose out the patrol car after she tosses her cookies in there?" Shinji nodded "Yeah, let the big hero deal with her" and the pair drove off into the night, taking the assailants in to the precinct for booking.  
  
Hideki came to a gentle stop at the base of the stairs of the Hinata Suu. He looked at the stairway that seemed to climb off into forever and looked at the girl snoring quietly in his sidecar and muttered to himself "Well, looks like I can skip the gym tommorow" and he removed the girl from his sidecar and began to take the girl up the steps to the building.  
  
Suddenly the quiet night was shattered by a whistling sound and Hideki looked up to see what appeared to be a missile heading for the pair! "Holy shit!" Hideki exclaimed as he grabbed the Konno girl and dove for cover. The missile was unerring in its flight path and proceeded to blow Hideki's bike to bits! Hideki could hardly believe what he was seeing from his hiding place, his bike, his one indulgence to himself with the money his family gave him, was a smoking ruin.  
  
Before Hideki knew what was happening a sword was being held at his throat and he and the Konno girl were being forceably separated. A cold female voice spoke "Who are you and what are you doing with Kitsune-san?" Hideki could barely breathe, whoever held that sword was an expert and he found himself unable to do more than swallow without feeling the blade on his throat. "My jacket pocket..." Hideki managed to croak out. Another voice, this one sounding rather bored, spoke even as he felt a hand in his jacket "Well, well what do we have here?" Hideki's only thought at that point was that Sochiro and Shinji had knowingly sent him to the gates of hell and if he died here he would haunt them for all their days.  
  
Hideki heard a gasp and suddenly found himself free of the force of the blade on his throat. The sudden loss of the support caused him to pitch forward and land squarely on his nose! "Dammit! Would somebody mind explaining what the fuck is going on around here?" Hideki hated to lose his temper, but after all that had happened tonight his patience had been worn thinner than a piano wire. He found himself being helped to his feet with numerous apologies being flung at him, seemingly from everywhere. Hideki screwed his eyes closed and shouted "Please be quiet!" The air grew still as he opened his eyes and found several young girls and a lady that Hideki placed in her late twenties bowing deeply. Hideki could only blink and stammer out "Sorry for yelling"  
  
Hideki found himself inside the Hinata Suu, a former inn that the former manager had changed into an all-girls dormitory and then left in the care of her nephew, a situation that Hideki couldn't begin to wrap his head around, why put a male in charge of an all girl's dormitory? He found himself being spoken to by a shame faced young woman in a hakuma and gi "My apologies Patrolman Matsui, I did not realize that you were a member of the local authourities"  
  
The speaker was Motoko Ayonama, she introduced herself as a student of kendo, this explanation seemed a bit skimpy to Hideki, considering the speed and the swiftness with which he had been subdued, but he decided that it wasn't his place to question. Hideki smiled "I should be the one apologizing Ayonama-san. I wasn't in uniform and if I had thought of it, I could have called ahead and saved us all the bother of this little.... incident" Motoko smiled "Thank you, Patrolman Matsui" Hideki shook his head "I'm off duty now, Hideki is fine" Motoko nodded "Understood Matsui- san"  
  
Hideki blinked in confusion but decided not to press the point, he sipped the tea that sat in front of him "Delicious" he sighed happily. Haruka Urashima the owner of the tea shop near the base of the steps offered a half-smile "Glad you like it Hideki, it's the least we can do after what happened to you and your bike" Hideki grimaced slightly at the reminder that his bike was now in pieces small enough to be mailed to him in a Pokèball.  
  
A strange, foreign-looking girl spoke up sadly "I'm sorry about your bike, we thought Kitsune was in trouble so I used my Mark IV Tama missile to rescue her." Hideki looked at the strange girl but decided that she had truly not meant any harm, though how shooting high explosives at someone was rescuing them he had no idea.  
  
Hideki smiled "It's okay... Su was it? Anyways, no one was injured and a bike is just a machine, machines can be fixed, people can't" Suddenly Su got a strange glint in her eye and scurried off, shouting something to Hideki about making amends. Hideki could only smile at the young girls energy level, even as he wondered how she intended to make amends.  
  
The dorm's manager, Keitaro Urashima spoke next "Will Kitsune be alright Matsui-sa..." a sharp glance from Hideki caused him to correct himself "I mean will she be alright Hideki?" Hideki exhaled through his cheeks as he answered "I honestly have no idea Keitaro. If she's lucky, she was so drunk that she'll have lost this entire evening, though it will make convicting the slime that tried to rape her that much harder"  
  
The girl that held Keitaro's hand, one Naru Narusegawa spoke "But if they aren't convicted that means they could come after her again doesn't it?" Hideki nodded "It's possible, though they did attack me, so assault with a weapon charges with me as the complainant should stick"  
  
Shinobu Maehara, the Hinata Suu's resident chef set a pastry in front of Hideki, her voice wavered with worry "Should stick? Auuuuu" Hideki smiled in an attempt to reassure the young girl "I'm sure the charges will stick Shinobu-san, I mean I have my nightstick with a chunk taken out of it as proof" and Hideki produced his collapsible baton from his back pocket and extended it in one swift move, the baton clearly showing the effects of the nights activities. Shinbou blinked at the sudden appearance of the weapon and beat a hasty retreat back to the kitchen.  
  
Hideki blinked in confusion "Did I do something wrong?" A young blond girl spoke "Nah, Shinobu's just a fraidy cat, you any good with that thing?" The speaker was Sarah McDougall an American girl staying at the Hinata Suu while her adoptive father was away. Hideki smiled "I wouldn't be a good patrolman without being able to handle this" and he proceeded to play with the baton, twirling it and transferring it back and forth between his two hands as he spoke. The young girl seemed unimpressed "Where's your gun?" Hideki smiled grimly "It's at the station where it belongs, frankly I dislike carrying it even while on duty, but rules are rules.... Anyways, I should get going, I'm sure you all would like to get some sleep and to be honest, so would I"  
  
Hideki yawned hugely even as he realized the long trek home he faced without his bike. "I almost forgot, if Konno-san remembers anything at all about tonight please have her call me at the station" Hideki handed a card to Keitaro. "I'm on day shift this week, but please don't press her on this, it's better if she forgets everything that happened tonight"  
  
Keitaro took the card and nodded "Of course Hideki, once again we owe you a great debt for returning Kitsune to the Hinata Suu safely" Keitaro bowed deeply even as Hideki rose from his chair after finishing the tea. Hideki smiled again "It was a pleasure meeting you all and again, my apologies for all the chaos I caused tonight" Hideki strolled down the steps of the Hinata Suu, calling for a cab on his cell phone for the journey home.  
  
The group watched Hideki dissapear into the night. Haruka was the first to speak and her voice was tinged with dissapointment "I can't believe what you girls did to that patrolman, here he is bringing Kitsune back and you go off half cocked and nearly hurt him and end up destroying his motorcycle. By all rights he should have pressed charges against you and Suu, Motoko."  
  
Motoko hung her head "Believe me Haruka-san, I regret my actions deeply. As a disciple of the God's Cry School I should have been more cautious about the use of force. Now I have angered a member of the local authorities" Suu, who had returned downstairs after Hideki left spoke up softly "Suu didn't mean to cause trouble. But Suu will fix everything see?" and the young girl pulled out blueprints for a motorcycle that looked like it came directly from a racetrack as the assembled group blinked in confusion.  
  
Haruka offered a soft smile "That's good, now I don't know about the rest of you, but I think I want to get some sleep" and with that she left the Hinata Suu to return to her teashop and her bed. The others nodded amongst themselves and went to their respective beds.  
  
Upstairs in her bed Kitsune was moaning, her dreams a jumbled mass of images, a knife in her face, the sound of a hand hitting flesh, the sight of a pair of ice blue eyes and a warped image of what she believed to be a bulldog. These and more images tormented the young girl in her sleep and as she drifted off to a dreamless sleep the last thing that she heard was a voice gently asking her if she was alright. As she heard that voice in her head her mouth unconsciously twisted into a smile even as she rolled over for the night... 


	3. Part 3

Authour's Notes  
  
A quick note this time around, thanking those of you that have taken the time to give me your thoughts on this story. I may not be able to write with the speed of other authours but I like to think I make up with it with a decent story.... and if you believe that, I think Kitsune has a bridge she was selling ;)  
  
Anyways on with the show.. Kitsune/ACC pairing.... Why? Well why the hell not eh?  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina, someone far more talented does, I'm just borrowing for the purposes of entertainment (Of myself or you the reader? Hey that's your call not mine -smiles-)  
  
All comments to NefCanuck - amslerd@sympatico.ca  
  
The Fox and the Hound Part 3  
  
Kitsune woke up the next morning feeling like she'd been used as a chew toy by a rabid dog. She blinked slowly and winced, even blinking caused her agony. Her first coherent thought was "Damn, must have been a bad one last night" she then looked down at herself and frowned "That's weird, I'm in my nightclothes. I'm usually still in whatever clothes I was wearing when I went out the night before" she shrugged the apparent contradiction off, in her mind it was just as likely that one of the other Hinata Suu's female residents had helped her into her nightclothes. Satisfied that she had solved the mystery to her satisfaction, she made her way downstairs, taking extra care not to make any noise because in her hungover state a creaking floorboard sounded like the entire inn would collapse in on itself.  
  
Downstairs the other residents were eating breakfast and talking amongst themselves in hushed tones. Shinobu spoke timidly "What should we say to Kitsune-sempai when she comes downstairs?" Naru spoke firmly "Absolutely nothing, you heard Hideki's comments last night, she's better off not remembering anything about last night"  
  
Kitsune suddenly popped her head into the kitchen and with her trademark smile on her face piped up "What am I not supposed to remember about last night? And who the hell is Hideki?" The reaction from the other tenants was as swift as it was surprising to Kitsune, with every one of the tenants dissapearing with almost inhuman speed, leaving only their dishes as proof they were ever there. Kitsune's eyes opened wide, a rarity for the girl and she rubbed her chin in thought "Maybe last night was especially bad for some reason"  
  
Kitsune shrugged and sat down to her breakfast, toast and water, the only thing that would stay in her stomach. As she picked up the butter knife she stared at it and an image flashed in her mind of another knife, this one being waved in front of her face along with guttural laughter and her panicked screams. Kitsune found herself shaking so badly that the knife clattered to her plate. She suddenly stood up and ran for the washroom as her stomach churned. The residents of the Hinata Suu looked on from their hiding place in the walls of the old inn. They realized that keeping the truth from her about what happened last night wouldn't be easy, not at all...  
  
Hideki sat at his desk that morning and chewed a pen while typing up his report of the incident. Since he was likely the only complainant, with the Konno girl hopefully forgetting the entire thing, it was up to him to make sure that he provided a compelling case to keep those two packages of human refuse caged up for a good, long time. As he continued typing and chewing, Shinji and Saotome wandered up to his desk, with matching grins on their faces. Hideki looked up annoyed "If it isn't Neptune and Uranus. What do you two want now?"  
  
The smiles dissapeared quickly from the pairs faces as Hideki used his derogatory term for the pair, with his special emphasis on the word 'Uranus'. However Saotome's arrogant smile quickly returned "Didn't notice that hunk of junk you call a bike in the parking lot this morning, rough night taking the Konno girl home Bulldog?"  
  
Hideki nearly bit through the pen in anger "You might say that Saotome, did it ever occur to you that you might have warned me about that dormitory seeing as how you've 'dealt' with those girls before?" Now Shinji smiled even wider "What? And miss a chance at having the great Bulldog taken down a peg?"  
  
Hideki was furious now and seemed ready to jump at the pair right then and there when Hideki's phone rang. Hideki looked up at the pair with an expression that clearly indicated that he would prefer some privacy. The pair shrugged and left, not really caring to give Hideki the privacy he craved, but assuming that if the call was for Hideki that it would be something boring and not worth their time to eavesdrop on.  
  
Hideki picked up his phone and an energetic voice called out from the ear piece "Hi Hideki-san!" Hideki winced even as he jerked the phone away from his ear, it was that foreign girl from the dormitory last night and she seemed awfully excited. "This is Patrolman Hideki Matsui, how can I help you?" The girl on the other end of the line giggled "Su likes Hideki-san, he's funny when he's being all serious like!"  
  
Hideki sighed, knowing that his report wasn't going to write itself "What can I do for you Koalla-san? Is anything wrong?" Su giggled like a mad scientist on amphetamines "No, no, everything is just great! It's done, it's done!" Hideki blinked in total confusion, unsure of what the girl meant. "What's done Koalla-san?" Su giggled "Your bike silly, Su made it all better!"  
  
Now Hideki was really confused, last night his bike was pieces that he hardly recognized as being from his bike and this girl had repaired it? in less than a day? Su chattered again "Is Hideki-san gonna come by after work to come see what Su did?" Hideki couldn't help the smile that crept over his face, the girl's happy energy was infectious if nothing else. "Sure Koalla-san, I'll be over there about 7 o'clock tonight after work?" Su laughed "Yes Hideki-san comes! Sees what Su did with his bike!" and the girl laughed again before hanging up. Hideki blinked and wondered just what was in the air at that dormitory.  
  
Kitsune sat in her room later that afternoon, trying to rack her brains in an attempt to remember what had happened the night before. It wasn't that forgetting a night or two was unusual in and of itself for her, but the others reaction was. Kitsune pulled at her short hair in frustration "Damnit, why won't it come to me?" and then it hit her like the really cheap sake she liked. Su's 'Mr. Virtual', she'd use that to get the answers she was looking for! Thanking her lucky stars that Su was still at school she silently made her way into Su's room, trying very hard to ignore the lush jungle décor even as she grabbed what she sought and made her way to the basement of the inn.  
  
The basement of the Hinata Suu wasn't the most people friendly place that Kitsune had ever been in, but it would serve her purposes in giving her a quiet place to try and uncover the mystery of what happened. Even as she put the Mr. Virtual on she began to get a bad feeling about the whole idea.  
  
The Mr. Virtual sputtered to life and Kitsune found herself wandering out of the watering hole that she had been in last night and unlike the night before she was in full control of her mental facilities so she could see herself careening wildly down the sidewalk until she collapsed in a heap...  
  
What she saw next caused her to want to fling off the Mr. Virtual and run as far away from it as she could. Somehow she kept watching, watching as her two assailants leered over her but for some reason she could barely make out their faces. She heard their voices as clearly as day however as they threatened her and sliced several buttons off her blouse. She wanted to scream out to stop what she thought was coming next, maybe this was why the other residents had been so adamant to shield her from last night, maybe her famous luck had finally run out....  
  
Then she heard it, a voice at first calm as the wind as he tried to talk down the situation and then hard as steel when it became apparent that he wasn't going to be able to talk them out of whatever plans they had for her. Frustratingly, the voice was getting clipped off, it seemed that Mr. Virtual was running out of power. A warning light that appeared in her field of vision confirmed her fears that she didn't have much time left to discover the identity of her mysterious saviour.  
  
Suddenly the entire display became fuzzy and indistinct and as she strained to see the face of her saviour she heard him ask in a gentle voice if she was okay. She then caught a glimpse of his steely blue eyes and a logo of some type on his leather jacket. The last thing she heard from the Mr. Virtual as it went dark was the sounds of her retching, presumably on her benefactor. "Figures" she muttered softly to herself "I get saved by my Prince Charming and I end up throwing up all over him. No wonder the others didn't want me to remember last night, that's pathetic." and she pulled off the Mr. Virtual with a sigh.  
  
Dinner that night at the dormitory was quieter than usual, Kitsune had not come down for dinner and instead Shinobu had brought a tray of food to her room when Kitsune had made it clear that she wasn't interested in joining the group at the table. The residents were understandably concerned with this development and Shinobu spoke up first "What do you think is wrong with Kitsune-sempai? She sounded so sad" Keitaro spoke up "Maybe it's just her time of the m..." and before the last word could be completed Naru had punched him in the face hard enough to send him spiraling through the roof. Motoko spoke softly "Is it possible that she has remembered the details of last night? That could explain her odd behavior"  
  
Su stopped stuffing bananas in her mouth long enough to comment "Well, my Mr. Virtual's batteries were completely drained when I got home from school" The other residents looked at each other with varying degrees of shock. Su spoke again "Oh that reminds me, I told Hideki-san he could come by tonight and pick up his bike" and with that Su resumed stuffing her face even as the other residents looked at each other in an absolute panic.  
  
Hideki rode the tram up the hill to the dormitory after work, still not believing that Su had completely rebuilt his bike. He mused to himself, at least it was an excuse to avoid what was becoming a near weekly ritual, with his parents alternating calling him seeing if he was alright, if he needed anything, if he was any closer to finding a girlfriend.  
  
It was the last item that was the biggest sore point, it wasn't that he was adverse to the idea, Hideki just disliked the idea that he had to have a girlfriend because his parents thought it was a good idea. Frankly he figured it was more his father, his father seemed determined to make sure that Hideki projected the image that suited his needs. Hideki found himself scowling slightly as he made his way off the tram, causing the people to back off in fear of the imposing figure in the leather jacket.  
  
As Hideki stepped off the tram, a mist appeared and flowed around him and three men emerged from it. The first one spoke "Life is full of the unexpected." The second one chimed in with "Being prepared is the wisest course" and then the third man spoke "But don't let your need for order blind you to the opportunities life gives to you" Before Hideki could even speak the mist vanished as quickly as it came, taking with it any traces of the mysterious men. Hideki muttered "What's next? A talking cat?"  
  
Hideki found himself again at the dormitories steps, but this time it seemed the entire resident population was at the base of the steps to greet him, save the Konno girl, Hideki noted to himself. They were all clustered around something smiling and as Hideki waved to them they stepped aside revealing his bike, looking like it had just come from the showroom. Hideki blinked in astonishment "You did this all yourself Koalla-san?" Su beamed proudly "Yep, sure did, I even made improvements to your bike too!" Hideki looked at his bike, it seemed to be the same as before but on closer inspection he found extra buttons and switches that he knew hadn't been there before.  
  
Su bounced from foot to foot excitedly "Here's your helmet Hideki-san!" Hideki caught his helmet and put it on, barely noticing the strange design that now adorned it, resembling a three eyed triangle as he sat on the seat of his bike. Hideki pulled his spare key out and looked around where he remembered the ignition slot to be "Um Koalla-san?" Hideki asked with a questioning glance.  
  
Su giggled even as she yanked one of his hands from the handle bars and placed his thumb on a spot on the fuel tank. As she did so there was an audible signal and the bike roared to life, surprising Hideki even as it settled down to it's familiar lumpy idle. Hideki was flabbergasted, a thumbprint ignition system? ' This girl was a genius of the highest order' he thought to himself and for the next five minutes Su happily pointed out the various switches and buttons on Hideki's bike, which to him now resembled something out of an American spy film.  
  
Hideki couldn't help but notice that the others seemed anxious about something, but in trying to keep up with Su's high speed chatter he found himself unable to devote attention to trying to determine what had them all so skittish.  
  
Hideki looked at an innocent looking green button and asked Su what it did even as he pressed it... Su beamed happily and called out even as Hideki went sailing up to the Hinata Su "That's Su's patented ejection seat! Guaranteed to blow you clear of any danger or your money back!" Hideki never heard that last comment as he sailed into the air towards the dormitory.  
  
Behind the dormitory Kitsune sat in the hot springs with her knees drawn to her chest. Kitsune could hardly believe how close she had come to possibly being raped "Face it girl, if that guy hadn't come along when he did, you would have been raped" her conscience chided her and Kitsune lowered herself further into the water with a sigh.  
  
A loud scream of warning filled the night air and Kitsune looked around in confusion, it was a male's voice but it was too deep to be Keitaro's. Before Kitsune could think about who else it could be, there was a loud splashing noise and the fox girl found herself staring at a large male body in the hot springs laying face down...  
  
She blinked, face down? 'That wasn't good' she thought to herself and Kitsune struggled to turn him over onto his back. As she did so she noticed the leather jacket the man was wearing and the bulldog emblazoned on it. Kitsune looked down at the stranger and smiled "Come here often big boy?" Hideki opened his eyes weakly, coughed once and said weakly "A... are you alright Konno-san?" before passing out completely, leaving the fox girl utterly speechless as she recognized her saviour from last night...  
  
End chapter 3 


	4. Part 4

Authour's Notes  
  
Sorry for the delay, real life has a nasty way of hijacking my muse and forcing it to take care of other things :P The plot finally moves forward! Truly a sign of the apocalypse no? ;)  
  
Anyways on with the show.. Kitsune/ACC pairing.... Why? Well why the hell not eh?  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina, someone far more talented does, I'm just borrowing for the purposes of entertainment (Of myself or you the reader? Hey that's your call not mine -smiles-)  
  
All comments to NefCanuck - amslerd@sympatico.ca  
  
The Fox and the Hound Part 4  
  
Kitsune's mind was a maelstrom of thoughts: 'How did her saviour end up here in the hot springs? What should she say to him? Did he have a girlfriend? Was he rich?' Kitsune's thought process was interrupted by her conscience again as it not so subtly reminded her that Hideki was slipping back into the spring and underwater. 'Crap' thought Kitsune to herself and she tried to drag Hideki out of the spring without much success, barely keeping his head above water. Suddenly, she grinned evilly as she slipped into the water and faced Hideki, she'd wake him up in her own 'special' way.  
  
Hideki's mind was floating in a state of semi-consciousness when he suddenly noticed and felt several things all at once:  
  
First he noticed that he was immersed in water, this wasn't pleasant.  
  
Second he felt a pair of lips softly caressing his, this was certainly much more pleasant.  
  
It was when he got to the third thing that he noticed however, that his mental processes started skipping like a scratched CD as he felt two very soft things on his chest. One part of his mind calmly analyzed the sensation and came to the conclusion that it was a pair of breasts of a rather well endowed female. Another part of his mind, the part that made him the most determined policeman in all of Hinata did the only logical thing it could think of and panic.  
  
Hideki's eyes snapped open and he found himself looking at the face of the girl that he had rescued last night, she was kissing him full on the lips even as she effectively lay on his chest and he chanced a glance down to see that his mind had in fact been correct and that she was rather well endowed.... and that her towel was floating away...  
  
The next few moments were a torrent of shouts and splashing, as Hideki tried to extricate himself from Kitsune's embrace even as the other residents of the dorm finally appeared. The youngest female residents found their eyes being covered by the older ones even as the lone male among them blushed profusely and turned away with a trickle of blood issuing from his nose, only to find himself getting punched skywards following a loud cry of "PERVERT!" from Naru.  
  
Hideki finally snapped back into a fully alert state at the sound of the young man's scream of apology fading into the air and made to try and separate himself from the girl on his chest. Motoko spoke first, unsheathing her blade as she did "Weakling male! I will punish you for taking advantage of Kitsune-san!" and she leapt forward, bringing her blade down, meaning to separate Hideki from Kitsune in the most violent way possible.  
  
Hideki's mind scrambled for a way out of this situation but before he could open his mouth to speak, the girl that was sitting beside him, stood up and placed herself between himself & Motoko. "Stop it Motoko! This wasn't his fault!" Kitsune yelled. Hideki heard nothing more of this conversation, having dunked himself in the hot springs even as Kitsune had stood up, naked as the day she was born.  
  
Motoko snorted "Ridiculous! I saw him trying to grope you and you were both screaming when we arrived!" Kitsune sighed heavily "Motoko, I was trying to wake him up, the reason I screamed was because he startled me when he started thrashing around when he came to. I guess he wasn't expecting my wake up call to him" and she smiled with her trademark grin. Naru looked at her best friend and shook her head "He's a policeman Kitsune, I don't think he's ever had to deal with your type of 'wake up call' as you put it"  
  
Shinobu had by this time wriggled free from having her vision blinded and let loose a squeal of panic that caused the other residents to look at her quizzically. As they followed the hysterical girl's pointing they saw what had caused her to react in fright. Hideki was laying motionless face down in the water and was floating away from the group. Several shouts and splashes later the group retrieved Hideki and brought him into the dorm, settling him into Keitaro's room to rest.  
  
Hideki awoke sometime later, the first words out of his mouth were a mumbled "I'll get you Neptune and Uranus, I'll get out of this hell yet and when I do....." A soft chuckle coming from his left caused him to turn his head. Kitsune sat beside him, now fully clothed, a glass of sake in her hand "Oh now that's just a bit harsh, this dorm may not be a high class resort spa, but it is home cutie pie.... Cheers" and Kitsune downed the glass of sake in her hand in a single gulp.  
  
Hideki blinked and sighed "Sorry, sorry, but my experiences here haven't been all that pleasant so far, between my bike getting blown to bits last night and that dunk in the hot springs tonight...." Hideki suddenly realized that he was covered in blankets up to his chin... and that he couldn't feel his clothes. "Erm, Konno-san, where are my clothes?"  
  
Kitsune smirked "Now, now, call me Kitsune Hideki-chan" Kisune said with a wink of her eye. "As for your clothes, well you were totally soaked, not to mention unconscious, so we thought it was best to get your clothes off you to dry while you weren't able to object" and she giggled.  
  
Hideki blanched and sat straight up, the blankets falling from his chest, revealing a fit upper body that was as advertised, without a stitch of cloth on it. Kitsune giggled again even as she made to fan herself "My, my is it getting hot in here or is it just me?" Hideki could only flush in embarrassment and dive back under the blankets. Kitsune scowled slightly "Spoilsport, I showed you mine" Hideki could only stutter and sputter out denials from under the blankets while Kitsune laughed merrily at his discomfort.  
  
There was a knock on the door and Keitaro appeared, holding a bathrobe "Here Hideki-san, your clothes will be another hour but I have a bathrobe you can use." Hideki smiled gratefully and after Keitaro dragged Kitsune outside, Hideki threw on the bathrobe, so that at least he had some clothing on and a bit of his dignity back.  
  
Hideki emerged from the room he had been placed in coming face to face with Kitsune's smile "So, are you feeling better now Hideki-chan?" Kitsune idly traced her finger along Hideki's chest. Hideki could feel his mental processes start to derail again and slipped into his professional demeanor in an attempt to remain lucid "I'm fine Konno-san, by the way we've never actually been formally introduced. My name is Hideki Matsui, I'm a patrolman in the Hinata district." Kitsune sighed and smirked "You sound just like a cop right now and it's too bad, cause you're kinda cute Hideki- chan" and she patted his cheek softly.  
  
Hideki blinked, he'd been called many things in his life, but 'cute' wasn't one of the more common things he was called. "I'm truly flattered Konno- san" he managed to stutter out. Kitsune sighed "Please, it's Kitsune, Konno-san is my mother..." Hideki nodded "Understood Kitsune-san, I'll just wait here for my clothes to dry and..." Kitsune suddenly smiled and grabbed Hideki's wrist "Follow me Hideki-chan" and she dragged him to her room, Hideki stumbling to keep up with her enthusiasm.  
  
The others who had been hiding in the shadows listening, emerged as the pair left. "Will Kitsune-san be all right with that... male? He may be a member of the local police force but still..." Motoko was scowling as she said this. Naru nodded and smiled "Kitsune can take care of herself Motoko, don't you worry" Keitaro laughed "If you want to worry about anyone Motoko-san, pity poor Hideki, I'm sure he's never dealt with anyone as lively as Kitsune"  
  
Kitsune pulled Hideki into her room and giggled before speaking "Welcome to Kitsune-land, please have your tickets ready!" Hideki could hardly believe this, last night he had discovered this girl on the edge of being raped and tonight she was dragging him to her room like he was a long lost friend. Hideki managed to steer himself to the futon and sat down sighing.  
  
Kitsune was right in his face smiling "Can I get you a drink Hideki?" Hideki looked around the room for the first time and blinked in utter shock. 'This girl's room is better stocked with liquor than half the bars in Tokyo' he thought to himself. Kitsune snapped her fingers in front of his face "Earth to Hideki, Earth to Hideki, how about that drink?"  
  
Hideki dragged himself back from his musings "Um, would you have some water Kitsune-san?" Kitsune's face flashed with dissapointment briefly "Water? Oh, yeah I've got some here, need something to mix the liquor with after all" and she went over to a miniature fridge, after a minute of searching she came up with a bottle of water that she underhanded to Hideki. Hideki caught the bottle easily and opened it, bringing it to his lips. Kitsune smiled "Straight from the bottle? My kind of guy, even if it is only water, Cheers!" and with that she brought a glass of sake up in a toast before throwing it back in a single shot.  
  
Hideki said nothing, but noted to himself that this was the second glass of sake that Kitsune had downed in less than half an hour, each of them thrown back like she had been doing this for a long time. Suddenly Kitsune was in his lap, her breath smelled slightly of the sake she had just consumed, but she didn't appear to Hideki to be hindered in any way, which made what she said all the more surprising.  
  
Kitsune smiled and spoke "Thank you Hideki, if it wasn't for you who knows what would have happened last night" Hideki made to speak but Kitsune put a gentle finger on his lips "Please, let me finish. You did something last night that no one has done for me in a long time. You stuck your neck out for me and whether you were a cop or not, it was a dangerous situation. You could have been hurt, hell, if either of those jokers had a gun, you could have been killed" and she kissed him on the lips with all her passion behind it.  
  
Hideki's mind was exploding, he'd never experienced a kiss like this, he felt like his entire body was on fire. As they finally broke the kiss Hideki took the opportunity to breathe and then to speak "Kitsune-san, you make it sound like you have no one that cares about you and I know that's just not true. All your friends here in the dorm were very worried about you when I brought you back last night..."  
  
Kitsune's smile sagged a bit "Yes, they're friends, hell, the only true friends I've ever had, but you did something for me that even they might not have done in your shoes and I'm in your debt for that. Most men when they look at me only think of one thing when doing something for me and it shows." With that she sighed and put her head on Hideki's chest.  
  
Hideki put his arms gently on Kitsune's shoulders and she snuggled into his chest. 'Poor girl' Hideki thought to himself 'Last night must have affected her more than I could have imagined....' Hideki found his eyelids dropping even as he heard the soft snoring sounds coming from the girl resting on his chest and he fell asleep a contented smile on his face.  
  
But his was not a restful sleep...  
  
Hideki found himself tied up in a chair, in room with a single spotlight in it 'What the hell?' he thought to himself as he struggled against his bonds. A coldly familiar voice rang through the room. "Yet again you dissapoint me, taking up with such a low class woman. I'm ashamed to call you my son" Hideki growled even as he continued to struggle against his bonds "What the hell is the meaning of this? What's this all about?"  
  
A second spotlight blazed into existance revealing Kitsune's limp form, being held up by two figures that Hideki couldn't make out for the glare of the spotlight. "Yet again I have to clean up after you Hideki. Until you learn your place this is the only way to get through to you." Hideki called out "Kitsune-san, KITSUNE-SAN!" and the girl began to stir. Kitsune blinked "Wha? Where? Hideki-chan? Hideki-chan! HELP ME!" and the girl struggled against her captors until she was silenced by one of them striking her on the temple, causing her to fall limp once more, a trickle of blood issuing behind her right ear.  
  
Hideki howled in fury and redoubled his efforts against his bonds. "You ASSHOLE! Not again! You leave her the hell alone, it's me you want to control! Let her go father!" The voice laughed coldly "You're in no position to bargain 'Hideki-chan' take her away gentlemen and dispose of her as you wish" and the pair of figures dragged her off laughing, leaving Hideki alone in the room yelling curses and finally crying when his voice gave out.  
  
The rising sun in Hinata the next day was the sole witness to the strange sight of a pair of figures on a futon, one with a contented expression on her face and the other with tears on his face, holding her as if his life depended on it...  
  
End chapter 4 


	5. Part 5

Authour's Notes  
  
I like quick authour's notes and so I'll keep em short and sweet this go around too. Thanks to those who've taken the time to write and offer their thoughts, both with praise and concerns. I can't get better at this if you don't let me know what I'm doing wrong :)  
  
Anyways on with the show.. Kitsune/ACC pairing.... Why? Well why the hell not eh?  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina, someone far more talented does, I'm just borrowing for the purposes of entertainment (Of myself or you the reader? Hey that's your call not mine -smiles-)  
  
All comments to NefCanuck - amslerd@sympatico.ca  
  
The Fox and the Hound Part 5  
  
Hideki awoke the next morning to the sounds of chirping birds outside. Hideki blinked a few times as he realized that he wasn't at home in his apartment. 'That's right' he groggily thought to himself, 'I'm at the Hinata Suu... an all girl's dorm...' as his mind realized this he began to mentally panic and he looked around for any signs that anything improper had happened last night.  
  
Not seeing anything out of the ordinary he began to stretch and in so doing crumpled a piece of paper he held in his hand. The note read 'Breakfast is downstairs, come and get it sleepyhead' and was signed with a little caricature of a fox. Hideki could only laugh as he read the note and thought to himself 'That Konno girl is certainly full of surprises' and he began to get dressed, stopping when he realized that only his pants and briefs were there 'and some rather strange ones at that' and he dressed with whatever he could find to head downstairs.  
  
Thirty Minutes Ago  
  
Kitsune wandered downstairs to grab some breakfast, carrying several articles of clothing under her arm. Shinobu was the first to notice this and spoke timidly "Um, Kitsune-san, who's clothes are those? You're already dressed" Kitsune merely had a knowing smirk on her lips and answered with a giggle "Oh, just making sure Hideki-chan doesn't get a chance to escape as soon as he wakes up. I have a few things I want to say to him.' Shinobu blushed crimson even as she realized just which articles of clothing Kitsune had placed beside her. Naru sighed and stood up, grabbing Kitsune by the hand and dragged her out to the hotspring, despite Kitsune's protests.  
  
Once the door to the hotsprings was closed, leaving the two alone, Naru whirled to face her best friend "What the hell are you thinking Kitsune? You barely know this guy and you're treating him like you wanna have his babies! What gives?" Kitsune remained non-plussed at her friends outburst "So what if I did Naru? You aren't my mother." Naru's jaw worked soundlessly for upwards of a full minute before she was able to get coherent thoughts going through her head again "N-now wait just a minute Kitsune, you can't be serious!" Kitsune smirked but said nothing. Naru's eyes bugged out "Come on, this has to be a scam of yours Kitsune... that's gotta be it, you've gotta have an angle on him."  
  
Kitsune's confident smile sagged a bit but she responded in a lighthearted manner "Oh come on Naru, not everything I do is for myself you know." Naru didn't believe a single word but decided to let it pass, Naru figured that Kitsune would grow tired of her new toy soon enough 'or more likely he'll grow tired of her antics and that'll be that' Naru thought to herself. Naru turned on her heel and opened the hotsprings door... and watched in horror as every resident of the Hinata Suu poured out into the hotsprings area in an undignified heap, obviously they had decided that listening in to the conversation was more exciting than breakfast. Seeing her favourite target at the top of the pile Naru released her frustration on Keitaro and sent him skyward, turning her nose up to the group and stalking inside, with the rest following her a respectful distance behind (They weren't anxious to join Keitaro's frequent flyer program)  
  
Kitsune sat on a rock, lost in her thoughts 'I guess I am just that predictable to people now' for she had realized something that even Naru wasn't aware of yet. That the simple patrolman who snoozed upstairs in her room was none other than the son of the Minister of Justice, one Gendo Matsui, a fast riser in the political arena who it was said was on his way to the top job when the Prime Minister retired, or was forced out. What Kitsune couldn't figure out for the life of her was why. Why would the son of the Justice Minister agree to work here in Hinata as a simple beat cop? It was just something that she couldn't wrap her head around.  
  
Kitsune's conscience choose this moment to make itself felt 'Y'know Kitsune dear, trying to use the guy that saved you from getting raped is a new low, even for you' Kitsune sighed, it was in her nature to use people to help herself to what she wanted, for her conscience to be nagging at her like this meant that maybe this time she was going too far. Kitsune shook her head and smiled, if nothing else, the little prank that she had planned would tell her just what kind of a guy Hideki really was and she went inside to ensure that the residents left for the day before she put her plan in motion.  
  
The Present  
  
Hideki stumbled downstairs in his semi dressed state, lacking anything covering his upper body. Though he was loathe to admit it, he was curious as to what Kitsune had planned for him. Reaching the dining room Hideki looked around and seeing no one called out "Hello? Is anyone here?" A head popped out from behind the door leading to the kitchen and Kitsune smiled, beckoning him to enter the kitchen with a finger. Hideki thought of refusing the command to follow the girl, but her innocent looking smile convinced him that there could be no harm to it, even as his cop instincts tried to flash him a warning that things were not as innocent as they seemed.  
  
As Hideki walked into the kitchen he felt his jaw drop, seemingly through the floor as he witnessed Kitsune, apparently wearing nothing more than an apron puttering around the kitchen. Kitsune smiled and asked Hideki how he felt about miso soup for breakfast (in actual fact the food was simply the leftovers from breakfast, Shinobu having made her usual extra in hopes of pleasing Keitaro) Hideki's jaw continued to work silently even as his conscience started his backwards flight from the room, until he tripped over a stool that he had effortlessly missed on his way in to the kitchen and landed on his rear with a grunt.  
  
Kitsune was on him in a flash, a concerned look in her eyes as she ran her hands everywhere she could reach in an apparent attempt at discerning whether he was injured or not. Finally Hideki managed to re-start his brain and gently held Kitsune's wrists in order to stop her from frisking him even better than that female instructor had back at the police academy. Hideki spoke in a professional manner "Thank you for your concern Konno- san, but I'm uninjured" and he made to stand up. Kitsune's face registered her shock, no male had ever turned down her advances in such a determined fashion and she scrambled to follow him to a standing position. Kitsune stood there speechless for a moment as she mentally tried to make sense of his actions and her mouth blurted out the first thing that came to her mind "Hey! Don't you like girls?"  
  
Hideki blinked twice and started laughing so hard that tears of mirth started coming out of his eyes even as Kitsune's face registered utter confusion at what was before her. Hideki managed to get himself somewhat under control and chocked out through his laughter "You sounded... -giggle- just like my father -snicker- after I refused the girl he had set up to come to my office on my birthday last year" Kitsune's face still wore a puzzled expression and after Hideki managed to get himself completely under control, he elaborated on his explanation "You see my father was able to convince one of the younger staff members he works with that I would make a good catch as a husband and managed to convince her to go all out to try and catch my attention. So the poor girl had gone out and set up this elaborate scheme where she would get delivered to my office inside a giant cake and when I open the cake top out she pops wearing next to nothing singing 'Happy Birthday' to me while the entire precinct is watching. After she had finished singing with her face red as a tomato I knew that the whole thing had been a setup by my father."  
  
Kitsune interrupted Hideki's tale "How did you know that Hideki-chan? I mean the poor girl could have been watching you in secret from afar all that time and had just finally worked up the courage to try and show you what she felt for you" Hideki shook his head "I'm a cop Konno-san, the clues were all staring me in the face. One I'd never even seen that girl before that day. Two it was big and flashy, that fits my fathers tastes to a tee. Three, the fact that the entire precinct did nothing to prevent it from happening at all. That all spelled the scheming of my father to a tee and the fact that when I called his office after the whole thing had gone down his first question to me was 'How did I enjoy the cake and surprise inside it?' If it wasn't for the fact that it would break my mother's heart I would never have spoken to him after that ever again. I can't stand people who use deception and tricks to get what they want Konno-san"  
  
Kitsune suddenly felt like she was three inches tall, he was seeing right through her and her attempts to get close to him, it made sense that he suddenly starting using formal speech again and her face registered the shame of what she felt as she hung her head downwards. Hideki caught the girl's downcast expression and spoke gently "Listen Konno-san, I don't mean to sound cruel but after dealing with the tricks my father has used on me over the years, your efforts are nowhere near as devious as his are. In a way I have to say I admire it, you know what you want and you're not afraid to do what it takes to get it. My father uses deception and treachery so well, I don't even think he knows when he's being honest anymore. It might serve him well as a politician but frankly it disgusts me as a policeman"  
  
Kitsune was struck with the realization that Hideki was just like Keitaro, honest, compassionate to a fault but unlike Keitaro, Hideki wasn't afraid to call you out if he thought you were doing something wrong. Kitsune suddenly pushed past Hideki, tears glistening in her eyes as she ran. Hideki's conscience chose this moment to deliver a strong rebuke 'Nice going asshole, you couldn't let her down easy, no, you had to let her have it with both barrels. Like father, like son' Hideki suddenly paled as he realized that he had indeed emulated his father and been far too harsh with the girl. With a determined expression on his face he tore off in the direction that he had seen Kitsune go out of the corner of his eye, towards the hotsprings.  
  
Kitsune sat in the hotsprings feeling absolutely horrible and crying softly, she sat in the springs with only the wet apron clinging to her body and even that she tore off and threw away in anger. Hideki found his way into the hotspring just in time to have Kitsune's discarded apron smack him in the face. Hideki was so startled that he lurched forward and with a yelp and a curse ended up in the hotsprings, head nestled on top of Kitsune's bare breasts! Kitsune giggled even as she was still trying to stop the flow of her tears "Gee, haven't we done this dance once already?" Hideki's face turned scarlet even as he backed away "S.. sorry Kitsune- san..."  
  
Kitsune's face lit up slightly and she smirked "Kitsune-san is it? Since when have we been back on familiar terms?" Hideki hung his head in shame "Since I realized that I acted in the kitchen back there exactly like the man I despise most in the world. I'm sorry, I was way out of line" Kitsune shook her head smiling, her tears finally ended "No, you were exactly right, I had guessed who you were related to after you had told me your last name and I guess my natural instincts took over after that. But I'm still grateful for what you did for me that night, no matter what else I may do or say. Can we start over Hideki-chan?" Hideki smiled, he liked this Konno girl, despite her obvious quirks and nodded his agreement. The pair remained in the hotsprings close to one another as they lazily watched the day pass them by.  
  
Before the others got home they managed to dry Hideki's pants enough that he could leave before the group arrived and started asking questions that neither Hideki nor Kitsune felt ready to answer. However, an exchange of phone numbers between them before Hideki left said more that either would have realized had the group known of it.  
  
End Pt. 5 


	6. Part 6

Authour's Notes  
  
Well, well, it looks like it takes a massive blackout in Ontario to get me some free time to write. Good thing I can take advantage of the fact that where I work has no power while I still have power at my place -smirks- This chapter will be it until I get back from Switzerland in a few weeks, hope you don't mind ;)  
  
Special thanks to my pre-reader Mariemeia for vetting this chapter for me.  
  
Anyways on with the show.. Kitsune/ACC pairing.... Why? Well why the hell not eh?  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina, someone far more talented does, I'm just borrowing for the purposes of entertainment (Of myself or you the reader? Hey that's your call not mine -smiles-)  
  
All comments to NefCanuck - amslerd@sympatico.ca  
  
The Fox and the Hound Part 6  
  
Hideki entered his apartment while yawning, the last few days had been quite an adventure and it was a good thing that he had the day off today, or else he would have had to explain his absence to the precinct captain, something that he was not looking forward to. Hideki had grabbed a fistful of mail from his mailbox when he came home and dumped it on the table in his kitchen. As he walked past his answering machine he noticed the light blinking and started the playback of his messages.  
  
A cold voice emerged from the speaker "Hideki, this is your father, if you're deliberately ignoring me again, I would remind you to look at your mail and then call home" Hideki was intrigued now, just what the hell was in his mail and why was he expected to call home about it? Hideki played the remainder of the five messages that were on his machine as he sorted through his mail. Four of the messages were from his father, each one showing more and more displeasure that Hideki had not called him back yet, the last message was from his mother and he reached this message just as he reached an envelope addressed to 'Hideki Matsui and Guest'.  
  
The message played even as Hideki turned the envelope over and saw his mother's personal signature stamp on the envelope. The voice was soft, with a touch of sadness in it "Hideki-chan, your father is very upset that you didn't call him back about the invitation I sent to you. I know that you and he aren't getting along all that well, but please, will you consider coming, if not for your father, then for me? Love you" and the message ended. Hideki tore the envelope open now, curiosity having gotten the better of him.  
  
Inside the envelope was an invitation to a charity event that his mother was the head of, it was a masquerade ball to be held next Saturday in Tokyo in the newly opened courthouse. Hideki blanched, he had completely forgotten about the event, even as he looked down at the card again and turned it over. Hideki saw a post it note attached to the invitation, that he was sure his mother knew nothing about, in his fathers neat and concise handwriting 'If you do not advise your mother that you will be bringing a guest, a guest will be arranged for you'  
  
Hideki's face grew red with anger, how dare his father do this to him? Was it merely his father wanting to ensure that he projected the "right" image as befitting the son of the Minister of Justice? But even as he began to get even angrier he suddenly got a smirk on his face that would have reminded him uncomfortably of his father, had he been able to see it. Tommorow he was going to make a call to a certain all-girl's dormitory.  
  
The following day found Kitsune soaking in the hot springs by herself in quiet reflection, she was so lost in her thoughts that she failed to notice the door to the hot springs open and someone step through into the hot springs. A soft cough announced the newcomer but Kitsune failed to notice the newcomer, that is until they splashed her with what felt like a wall of water.  
  
Sputtering Kitsune looked in the direction of her attacker and saw Naru sitting in the springs with a smirk on her face. Finally having gotten Kitsune's attention Naru spoke, blithely ignoring the scowl on her victims face. "So, what were you two doing yesterday after we left? Normally by the time we all get home you're busy drinking the afternoon away and we found you sitting quietly on the steps outside with a spaced out look on your face, sober as a nun."  
  
Kitsune blinked and thought to herself 'Naru's right, normally all I do all day is drink or gamble, or try to find ways to get money to drink and gamble with.' Naru looked on at her friend who had zoned out again and made to deliver another wall of water. Kitsune caught the action out of the corner of her eye and spoke quickly, hoping to avoid another unannounced soaking "Well, we sat and talked for a while after we came to an 'understanding' between the two of us" causing Naru to blink in confusion.  
  
"Understanding? Just what kind of understanding are we talking about Kitsune? Is he trying to take advantage of you?" and Naru made a fist even as her eyes gleamed dangerously. Kitsune waved her hands quickly in denial "No, no, nothing like that Naru. He had figured out that I knew who he was... and we decided to start over the right way, no tricks, no lies, just two people trying to have a good time together" Naru's face softened into a smile "Congratulations Kitsune, I hope it works out for you" and she hugged her friend. Kitsune hugged Naru back and thought to herself 'I hope so to Naru, I really do'  
  
Later that same day...  
  
Hideki looked at the clock on the precinct wall and willed it to go faster, he had cleared his desk of all his assignments and was itching to leave so that he could make a call to the Hinata Suu. The precinct captain happened to walk by Hideki's desk and smiled "You seem to be in a real hurry to get out of here for a change Patrolman Matsui. Got any big plans for tonight?" Hideki had been caught dead to rights spacing out and sputtered in embarrassment "W... well, something like that Captain... I've managed to catch up on everything so I..."  
  
The captain laughed "Easy there patrolman, I didn't mean to pry or anything. You can take off a few minutes early for a change" Hideki smiled, stood and bowed to the captain. "Thank you sir, this gives me a chance to make my phone call before I go home." The captain blinked "You really are in a hurry, do you want to use my office to make your call? I was just going out to get a coffee so.." Hideki shook his head even as the captain spoke again "No really, go ahead, you'll have all the privacy you'll need in my office" Hideki's smile grew even wider "Thank you sir, I really do appreciate this" and he made his way to the captains office, whistling. The captain smiled watching Hideki's retreating form and thought to himself 'Only one thing could get 'Bulldog' Matsui off his game like this. Hope she's good to you son' and he went to get his coffee. Unfortunately the conversation had been observed.  
  
The two patrolmen, Shinji and Saotome looked at each other and nodded, this was odd behaviour for Hideki and they figured that the best way to figure out what was going on was to slip downstairs to the switchboard and call in a few favours.  
  
Hideki sat in the captain's chair and dialed the Hinata Suu, a bored voice answered on the other end "Hinata Suu, how can I help you?" Hideki spoke cheerfully "Good afternoon Haruka-san, is Kitsune-san there?" Haruka put the phone down and yelled out for Kitsune, even though she was yelling, the same bored tone could be detected. A minute later Hideki could hear footfalls scrambling towards the phone even as a voice he recognized as Kitsune's, yelled out for privacy.  
  
Kitsune picked up the phone and spoke breathlessly "Hideki-chan! What's up?" Hideki chuckled even as he heard her laboured breathing "Well, I was wondering if you were free next Saturday night? I'm attending a charity event at the Ministry of Justice that my mother is running and I'm allowed to bring a guest so.." Kitsune blinked for a minute before speaking into the phone, her voice much more relaxed and full of mischief then it had been when she had first picked up the phone "Why, is this your way of asking me out on a date Hideki-chan?"  
  
Hideki chuckled nervously "I guess so, I never was very good at this sort of thing" Kitsune laughed "Of course I'll go with you silly. What's the dress code for this party?" Hideki swallowed, now was the tough part "Well, about that, you see... my mom has a thing for costume balls, so we need to be in costumes, still interested?" Hideki waited on the phone for what seemed like forever until he heard Kitsune laughing "Of course I'm still interested, sounds like fun." Hideki let out the breath he had been holding even as he explained the details to her. As he explained it was a costume ball where any couples had to dress in costumes that related to each other in some fashion.  
  
A sudden thought crossed Kitsune's mind "Um, Hideki-chan, I don't really have the money to pay for a costume rental..." Hideki spoke "Don't worry I'll take care of that, you just give the costume shop owner my name and tell them to deliver my costume to my place by next Friday night. Oh and since I asked you out, I'll let you pick out the costume, sound fair?" Kitsune chuckled "Oh you might just end up regretting giving me the choice of your costume Hideki-chan." Hideki chuckled "I might at that, so how does a pickup at 6 o'clock next Saturday night sound?" Kitsune agreed and the pair hung up after exchanging goodbyes.  
  
Kitsune laughed even as she hung up the phone, this was going to be fun  
  
Meanwhile a phone in the Ministry of Justice rang and was picked up as a cold voice answered "Report" the listener said nothing and hung up without saying a word to the caller. The figure stood up from his desk and opened the blinds in his office, revealing a reflection of one Gendo Matsui and as he gazed out into the city of Tokyo, a scowling reflection gazed back at him and he uttered a single word to no one in particular....  
  
"Hideki"  
  
End Pt. 6 


	7. Part 7

Authour's Notes  
  
I'm back from Switzerland, poorer of course... Prices there for food are just insane ..  
  
Anyways on with the show.. Kitsune/ACC pairing.... Why? Well why the hell not eh?  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina, someone far more talented does, I'm just borrowing for the purposes of entertainment (Of myself or you the reader? Hey that's your call not mine -smiles-)  
  
All comments to NefCanuck - amslerd@sympatico.ca  
  
The Fox and the Hound Part 7  
  
Kitsune looked at the slip of paper on which she had written the address that Hideki had given her. She stood in front of a small costume shop that looked as though it didn't see that much customer traffic 'Weird, I know I got the address right' she muttered to herself and with that she shrugged and went inside.  
  
Kitsune found herself awash in a sea of colour, with various costumes catching her eye as she made her way to the counter and the elderly lady that sat behind it. Kitsune smiled "Um, I was sent here by a friend, we're going to a party next Saturday night and we need some costumes, my friends name is Hideki Matsui and..." This was all she managed to get out before the old woman hopped down from the stool she was occupying and vanished into the back behind a curtain. "Definately freaky... and he comes here willingly?" Kitsune mumbled to herself just as the salesclerk returned with a gigantic book that she dropped on the counter in front of Kitsune.  
  
The old lady let out a rather strange bark of laughter before she spoke "Ah yes, he told me you were coming, you're the first one he's ever sent here himself, usually his dates all get sent here by his father, strange bird that father of his is... Anyways, take a look in this book, these are all the costumes that we either have in stock or can have delivered. I was told price was no object, so whatever strikes your fancy my dear, but just remember, you're looking for yourself and Hideki" and she cackled again, causing Kitsune to shudder involuntarily before she set to looking in the book of costumes before her.  
  
Kitsune became engrossed in the costume choices before her, there were costumes representing just about every genre she could think of. The girl was so lost in the book that she had failed to notice that the salesclerk had dissapeared, that is until she felt something cold on her leg and yelped in surprise. "What the hell are you doing down there?" Kitsune demanded hotly.  
  
The old lady cackled again "Why, I need your measurements my dear, how else can I tailor the costume that you choose to your body?" Kitsune scowled and muttered to herself, but loud enough for the salesclerk to hear "He could have warned me about this" even as the old lady resumed her frantic measuring and note taking.  
  
Kitsune found herself overwhelmed by the sheer volume of choices and deciding to take a break, struck up a conversation with the strange salesclerk "So, does this mean that you'll be molesting Hideki like this as well?" The old lady sighed sadly "No such luck, he hasn't needed an adjustment to any costume he's worn since the very first one that I did for him some years ago now. He keeps himself in amazing shape for a policeman."  
  
Kitsune saw this as an opportunity to get to know a little bit more about Hideki's tastes, maybe that would help her make the choice of costume for the pair. Kitsune spoke again "So, what sort of costumes has he worn before?" The old lady stopped her measuring and put her finger to her chin "Let's see, he's done Marc Anthony, Romeo and King Lear for example" Kitsune stroked her chin in thought "So, he's the leader type eh?" The old lady shook her head "Those weren't his choices, those were his father's. He prefers doing things like doctors, fireman" Kitsune glanced down again at the book and a pair of costumes caught her eye "What about these?" The old lady's eyes gleamed "Yes, I think he'll like those and I might just get the chance to call him in for some fittings!" and with that the old lady cackled again before returning to her measuring frenzy. Kitsune could only look at the old woman in wonderment 'Maybe I went too far' she thought to herself even as she winced again as the cold measuring device met the inside of her other leg.  
  
Hideki called his mother during his shift at work the following week and advised her that he was in fact bringing a guest of his own. His mother reacted happily to the news, she knew that if her husband provided the escort again there was likely to be bad feelings about it. "Hideki honey, how were you planning on bringing your date to the party?" his mother asked innocently. Hideki paused before replying "My bike mom, what else would I use?"  
  
Hideki's mother reacted with a dissaproving clucking of her tounge "Honestly, Hideki Matsui, where is your head? You two will be out at night in costumes, how warm do you think they'll be?" Hideki stammered in reply "W.. well I thought it was supposed to be warm Saturday night... I can take it..." his mother's reply was like daggers of ice in his ear "YOU, can take it? What about this poor Konno girl? Did you ever stop to think to ask her whether she could take it?" Hideki could only offer unintelligible mumblings in reply. She spoke again, the determination evident in her voice "Now you listen to me young man and you listen well. I want to see you here this week and we'll see what cars your father has available to him that you can borrow for this party. Do I make myself clear?" Hideki replied "I could always rent a car myself mom..." Hideki's mother spoke again "Nonsense... and I won't take no for an answer...." Hideki sighed in defeat "Yes mom" Hideki's mother spoke cheerfully "Now that that's settled, what do you want for dinner on the night you come over?" Hideki could only groan as he realized that he was trapped with no way out.  
  
Several days later...  
  
Hideki had gone to his parents home as instructed by his mother, his father was not home, whether he had been forced to stay late to deal with some crisis or just chose to ignore his son, Hideki didn't know and frankly didn't care, the less his father knew about Kitsune, the less chance his father would try digging something up on her to use in order to persuade her to dissapear from Hideki's life. That thought caused Hideki to pause, here he barely knew the girl and he was already ready to defy his father's wishes to be with her 'Interesting' he though to himself even as he finished eating dinner and his mother cleared the table.  
  
Hideki's mother brought out a series of photographs and laid them out in front of him. "What do you think?" she inquired a hint of mischief in her voice. Hideki missed the warning sign. "Mom, I've barely looked at the photos, you can't expect me to have chosen already." She laughed lightly and spoke again "Silly, you know what I mean. What do you think of this Konno girl? How did you meet? Do you like her? Do you think you'll want to marry her? When will I have grandchildren?" Hideki's face went red as tomato "Mom! I've only just met her... your party is going to be our first real date. Don't go planning out the wedding ceremony just yet." Hideki's mom smiled "Well, how did you meet her exactly?"  
  
Hideki's mind reeled at this point, he hardly wanted to tell his mother that his first encounter with Kitsune was saving her from an attempted rape! Hideki's mother tapped him on the arm to get his attention again. Hideki started "Oh... I met her through work actually" Hideki's mom blinked "But you've turned down every woman that your father has set you up with from the police department" Hideki laughed at the mental image of Kitsune in a female traffic cop's uniform and sensed that if he didn't get out of there right that instant he would end up saying something that he shouldn't "No mom, she's not a policewoman, listen I really have a lot of work to do tomorrow, can we talk about this some other time?" and before his mother could utter a further word he stood up, but not before kissing her lightly on the cheek and pulling out one of the photographs. "Can you arrange this car? Thanks!" and Hideki made his way out of the house, gasping with a sigh of relief as he leapt on his bike and rode into the night. His mother waved after him at the door, puzzled by his behaviour.  
  
The day of the party....  
  
Hideki pulled into his parking space at his apartment... or at least tried to, for his space was filled with a gleaming black monstrosity of a car. Hideki groaned, he did not need this, he was due to pick up Kitsune at 6, hadn't even looked at his costume yet (He had been so tired when he had returned home from work the day before that he almost failed to register the package that was waiting for him outside when he got home) Hideki looked at the license plate and that's when he noticed that it wasn't the standard civilian plate but was the official style of a Japanese government vehicle. 'Curious' Hideki mumbled to himself as he went to give the car a closer look... and saw a note under one of the windshield wipers. Hideki drew even closer and saw that the note had his name on it and now extremely curious he grabbed the note.  
  
Hideki read the note and blinked in confusion, the note said that this was the car that he had requested for the party, but he clearly remembered the car he'd asked his mother to get for him and this gigantic black monstrosity surely wasn't it. Hideki shrugged to himself, maybe the car he wanted couldn't be arranged and his mother thought this would make a good substitute, while he appreciated her thoughtfulness, he had to wonder what Kitsune would think if he pulled up in this beast. Sighing to himself, he parked his bike against the far wall after clearing it with the building manager, for while he and the building manager had a cordial relationship, Hideki thought he should advise her of the situation.  
  
The building manager, a pleasant woman named Kyoko, had assured him that it wasn't a problem, but had commented that the gentleman who had dropped the car off looked rather upset about something and seemed rather determined not to be seen. Hideki asked for a general description of the man and paled visibly as he realized that it sounded like his father had dropped the car off himself. 'This could be trouble' Hideki thought to himself grimly even as he thanked the manager and made his way to his apartment.  
  
Once inside his apartment he took a quick shower and afterward went to his bedroom, where the box with his costume lay. Hideki smiled even as he lifted the lid of the box, when he had grabbed it from its resting place outside his apartment he had noticed how heavy the box was and curiosity had been eating at him ever since, as the box lid fell away all Hideki could do was gawk at the contents of the box, barely noticing the note on top of the costume. Hideki's mind reeled even as he grabbed the note and read it.  
  
The note was from Kitsune and the note asked that he arrive at the Hinata Suu in full costume and wait for her at the bottom of the temple steps. Hideki blinked even as he looked down at the costume and mumbled "You've got to be kidding me" even as he made to put the costume on.  
  
Hideki managed to slip out of his apartment without being seen and dove into the car, a combination of his reflexes and dumb luck that he did so without incident given what he was wearing. Hideki started the car and it instantly thrummed to life, the motor barely audible. "At least this thing is quiet enough, maybe I'll make it there unscathed" and Hideki proceeded to make his way over to the Hinata Suu, being extra careful to observe ever traffic law he knew, last thing he needed was for someone down at the station to see this.  
  
Eventually Hideki made it to the Hinata Suu and exiting the car with a heavy sigh walked to the bottom of the temple steps and waited, glancing at his watch, to make sure that he was on time. Suddenly, without warning, a figure in black leaped from a nearby bush at him and Hideki reacted on instinct, grabbing his adversary by the wrists and flinging them back towards the bush that they emerged from.  
  
Hideki approached the bush in a fighting stance and spoke with a commanding tone "Alright, whoever you are, you going to come out quietly or do you wanna dance some more?" The figure in the bush began laughing and Hideki instantly recognized the laughter even as the figure stood and stepped out into the light, her hands held out as if Hideki were to cuff them.  
  
It was Kitsune wearing a leather Catwoman outfit! Hideki could only blink and stare at how well the costume fit her. Kitsune smirked and struck a pose even as she approached the seemingly catatonic Hideki "Well? Cat got your tounge handsome" and Kitsune stroked Hideki under the chin, allowing a finger to drag along his chin, amused at the sight of Hideki trying to keep his cool. Hideki eventually regained the power of speech, even though he seemed to be having difficulty with it "You look absolutely...." Kitsune smiled "Purrfect?" Hideki couldn't help himself and facepalmed groaning "That was awful Kitsune" Kitsune chuckled even as she drew up to Hideki admiring his costume "You cut quite the dashing figure yourself... Batman" Hideki couldn't help but strike an exaggerated pose, extending his cape out behind him, causing Kitsune to break out into peals of laughter. Hideki drew himself back down to his normal stance "Not quite the reaction I was hoping for... We'd better get going Kitsune.... To the Batmobile!" and Hideki turned on his heel and sprinted to the car, Kitsune running behind him laughing all the way into the night, heading for the party.  
  
At the top of the stairs the female residents of the Hinata Suu could barely contain themselves as they had watched the comedy unfold at the bottom of the steps. Thanks to Su's "Mr. Spyglass" they had all gotten both the audio as well as a clear visual of the little "surprise" Kitsune had sprung on Hideki and his reaction to it. Keitaro was not present at this little gathering, Naru having punched him skywards upon seeing his reaction to Kitsune and her costume when she had come down to the living room earlier.  
  
Shinobu was the first to speak and while she had been initially insistent that the others should not be spying on the pair, she in the end had succumbed to her curiosity "Auuu, Hideki-sempai looks scary in that costume" Shinobu exclaimed. Motoko snorted "He is a typical male full of false bravado, or did you not see him posing like some outlandish superhero?" Naru could only sweatdrop at Motoko's comment, obviously Motoko had missed the point of the costume entirely. Su piped up "Too bad Hideki didn't tell me he was dressing up as Batman, I could have given him some really neat gadgets to stick in his utility belt!" The other girls cast a wary glance at Su, knowing full well the likely gadgets she would have created for Hideki and how dangerous they were likely to be to him, not to mention others around him.  
  
After the excitement had ended the girls made their way back inside, Naru pausing to look back at the direction that Hideki and Kitsune had gone and whispered "Good luck Kitsune"  
  
End Chapter 7 


End file.
